Summer of 🤟
Join us in San Francisco August 3 – 6
The SayWhatClub 2026 convention will be held from Monday, August 3 to Thursday, August 6 at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, 345 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA. For only $175 a night for a standard room, you’ll stay in the heart of the city, surrounded by stunning views of Union Square, San Francisco Bay and the city skyline, and just minutes away from key attractions and iconic landmarks. You can also book a city view room for $205, Union Square view for $215 and Bay view for $235. These rates are valid until the cutoff date of July 12.
SayWhatClubbers have been meeting annually since 1996. Share and bond with other members of our hard-of-hearing community and have a chance to build lasting friendships that can be renewed in person each year.
We’ve assembled a lineup of distinguished speakers who will inform and inspire you, and sponsors who will introduce the latest products and services to improve the lives of people with hearing loss.
Register today for $275 for a SayWhatClub subscriber or $450 for a couple.
Keynote Speaker: Rachel Zemach
Rachel Zemach is a former teacher of the Deaf in both public schools and the Deaf school in Fremont, and she wrote a book about her experiences teaching in both. She is working on her second book, an anthology about “Inbetweeners.”
While the number of people who identify as Deaf and use ASL daily is comparatively small, the vast majority of us are what she calls Inbetweeners. Whether due to growing up oral, being mainstreamed, using hearing devices, or becoming Deaf/hard of hearing later in life, many of us have experienced not 100% fitting into either Deaf or hearing environments easily. Rachel wants to examine, elevate and try to understand that unique and very challenging experience. The anthology will have many individuals’ stories and offer both practical advice and sense of compassion, support, and a broader view of what’s possible in terms of life paths.
Rachel became deaf suddenly at age ten. She lives in North California now and is passionate about Deaf education, and has one foot squarely in each “world,” the Deaf and the hearing. She is a strong advocate for ASL and the idiosyncratic beauty of Deaf culture but she also is strongly and personally affiliated with hard of hearing people and their life dilemmas.
Her presentation will address these issues and how her teaching position in a hearing, public school led to her ironically becoming more Deaf, culturally. She will also share her experience writing and publishing a book, both about Deaf Education and about Inbetweeners; both the obstacles she has confronted in the process and the joys and power of writing.
Clink the link below for an updated list of convention workshops and presenters.
Activities / Tours
We’re planning some exciting tours and activities, including a sunset boat cruise past the famous California Sea Lions, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito and Alcatraz. The cruise leaves from Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Advance ticket sales at SWC group rates are closed but you may still be able to book tickets at regular rates through the Blue & Gold website.
Tickets are also available for a captioned performance of the musical Hairspray at the San Francisco Playhouse on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. Book your tickets now in any price category at this link and use the discount code SAYWHAT25 at checkout to get a 25-percent discount.
Check out a list of major San Francisco attractions at the link below.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
